The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-11-25
MILLIONS oF TREASURE.

The Place Through which Tons Of Silver
and Gold Pass Every Year.
One of the most unpretentious buildings
on Wall street, says the New York Com
H5ercjGt ddCertfderY is the United States
ASSAY Office. which stands in the shadow
OF. rather under the wing Of the sub-treas-
urv. It's plain, old-fashioned stone front
gives no token of the hoard Of solid wealth
within. Ons of the most unassuming and
affable gentlemen on Wall street is An
drew J. Mason, the superintendent OF the
assay Office. One would hardly think to
see him that more gold and silver passes
through bis hands each year than is ham
died be any other man in the United
States, or for that matter in the world.
The assay Office is the funnel through
which the precious metals of the country
pass before they enter the commercial
world. From avery quarter Of the United
States daily shipments are received Of
gold, silver and the baser metals that
cling so tenaciousIy to the more valuable
products, and are here melted, separated,
refined and marked with the aIl-im-
portant stamp of the United States.
'sNearly ali of the gold sent here from
foreign countries p said Mr.. Mason, ''comes
to this Office. Much of il comes to US di-
rect from the steamers even before it goes
into the hands of consignees. Ali of this
gold is melted and cast into bars, except
Spanish and Mexican dOabloons and
American coins, only the lightweight
pieces of which find their way into the
melting crueibles."
''Do you make no exceptions either Of
English bars or bars marked with your
own stampsS"
'No, English, French, and even our own
bars, together with ell foreign coins, are
subject to the same treatment, first as
sayed and then cast into new bars and
stamped 10 indicate their fneness and
value"
"Why do you resmelt American bars
that already bear the assayer's stamp"
because we believe it to be the safer
course to pursue. 1t obviates any chance
of fraud or deception, and foreign mer-
chants are better satisfied when they know
that the same bar is never reissued from
this Office"
'Do other Governments resmelt our bars
also?"
''Not always. If they did we should not
receive so many of our own issue back.
England resmelts a good many,I but in
France they generally accept them as
they are"
But is not the cost of resmelting and
the loss consequent upon the operation
heavy?"
ION the contrary, it is very slight. The
cost for resmelting, testing and casting
INTO new standard DaIS IS only OuS-benbA
of one per cent. an ounce, while the loss is
infinitesimal."
While superintendent Mason was talk
ing heavy drag backed up to the door Of
the assay Office and commenced to unload
great silver bricks and little, heavy, IRON
bound boxes containing gold The re-
porter followed the boxes into the receiy-
ing room, where they were opened after
great deal of trouble. The contents con-
-se tad IF Eur OLE IN
one instance, tin box of gold dust. All
Of this precious material was taken out
and weighed on scales so delicately bal
anced that a grain of dust would disturb
the balance. Each lot was dumped into a
separate box to await its turn for the test
by fire as to its purity before it again did
duty as q meas ure of value.